


All Souls Dressed in White

by ardett



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Claustrophobia, Dark Fantasy, Ethan Nestor Egos, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kidnapping, M/M, Mark Fischbach Egos, Psychological Horror, Reality Bending, Threats, Unrequited Love, Unus Annus, YouTube, kind of, sort of idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:08:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27410110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ardett/pseuds/ardett
Summary: Mark visits Ethan and he always wears white.
Relationships: Ethan Nestor & Annus, Ethan Nestor/Annus, Mark Fischbach & Ethan Nestor, Mark Fischbach/Ethan Nestor, Unus & Annus, Unus/Annus
Comments: 20
Kudos: 209





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Meet Me In Black](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27360973) by Anonymous. 



> pretty out of character but this was fun :)
> 
> 100% inspired by Meet Me In Black! You could probably read this one by itself but the experience is definitely completed by reading Meet Me In Black first (though I did take a few creative liberties) <3
> 
> Based off [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfHTj5P2w6Y) (and if the link doesn't work, you know what happened)

08:00:00:00

“Ethan… Wake up…” a voice whispers in his ear. Mark’s voice.

Ethan’s stomach turns and his eyes snap open. He’s aware of the tape first, sealing his mouth shut. He can’t breathe through it and he feels himself start to hyperventilate as he looks around. He doesn’t know where he is. Nothing looks familiar but it all looks abandoned. There's a mirror covering one of the walls.

In the reflection, he sees Mark standing behind him. He’s dressed in all white.

And he knows. He knows what this is. He’s known it was coming for weeks now.

He’s not getting enough air. He can’t breathe. The world swims. His head starts to feel hazy and light.

“Don’t pass out, darling. It’s too soon for that.”

The tape burns as it’s ripped away from his mouth. Ethan gasps, taking in breathless inhales. Things sharpen.

“Don’t call me that,” he spits but it’s strained with fear.

The other man chuckles, deep and dark, and Ethan’s spine crawls. A hand comes down on his shoulder and then slides to the side of his neck, just barely squeezing. Ethan’s breath stutters.

“It’s your name, isn’t it?” he murmurs. The warmth of his breath brings out goosebumps on Ethan’s skin.

“Not the way you’re using it.”

The rest of the details are starting to seep in. His wrists are taped behind him, maybe tied too. His ankles are taped to the legs of the chair. There’s no way he could squirm free without being noticed. And even if he could… He tests the bonds one more time and it almost exhausts him. There’s something else, something that’s making him feel weak and unsteady. Drugs? Something else?

The man walks in front of him and leans down, hands on Ethan’s knees. He kisses Ethan on the cheek and Ethan flinches. He laughs. “Thought you liked it when I called you babydoll?” Ethan squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head. It makes him dizzy. 

“You’re not him,” Ethan grits out.

“You didn’t seem to care about that before.” Annus straightens, fixing the sleeves of his white suit. His smile isn’t Mark’s. Ethan’s known for a long time, he just never had the strength to stop it. “It’s easier when you can pretend it’s all a dream, isn’t it? That’s what he’s trying to do now.”

Ethan’s blood runs ice cold. “W-What?” No, no, is Mark—

Annus gestures towards the mirror. The reflection isn’t their own anymore. No, it’s much worse.

Mark is tied to a chair, the same way Ethan is, but there’s someone sitting in his lap. They’re dressed in a black suit. Mark’s saying something, shaking his head. Ethan can’t hear him.

“Mark!” Ethan screams but he knows Mark can’t hear him. The other person’s eyes slide over and he looks at his own face smirking back at him. Then he’s staring at his devastated reflection again, eyes red and tears running down his cheeks. Mark and Unus are gone.

He turns to Annus, pleading, “Let him go. You don’t have to do this. He didn’t— He doesn’t have to be a part of this.”

“This isn’t about you or about him.” Annus considers Ethan, tilting his head. “Don’t worry, he won’t be hurt.”

“He’s being hurt right now! You fucking kidnapped him, tied him up—”

“And what about you?”

Ethan pauses. “What about me?”

“You’re here too, aren’t you? I suppose it doesn’t matter. I’ve already hurt you and you’ve done nothing to stop it. You never told him, did you? You could have warned him this was coming,” Annus taunts. Ethan hates how much he sounds like Mark.

“Stop,” Ethan whispers. Tears sting in his eyes. 

“Come on, baby. Don’t lie to me. I know you remember.” Annus’s hand snakes around Ethan and presses at an old bruise on his collar. “You knew it was real.”

Ethan closes his eyes and tries to lie to himself.

-

There’s three weeks left for the channel. 

Ethan’s getting ready for bed when he hears his bedroom door open. He glances up, expecting Kathryn but it’s not her. 

“Mark?” Ethan asks, standing.

There’s something off about him though. His eyes look darker but maybe it’s just the light. He changed his clothes too, no longer in his cloak sweatshirt but now in all white.

“What are you doing here?” Ethan twists his hands. He glances behind Mark. He didn’t even hear the front door open.

“Wanted to see you. The end’s getting close.” Mark takes a step towards him. Ethan doesn’t know why but he takes a step back. There’s nowhere to go so he ends up sitting on his bed again.

“The end of the channel? I mean, yeah, I guess.”

Mark sits down next to him and puts a hand on his cheek. Ethan tenses. “We only have so much time left together. Don’t you want to make the most of it?”

“Only have so much time? We’re going to see each other afterwards, Mark. This isn’t the end.” Ethan can’t help a cold feeling spreading out from inside him. Something feels wrong.

“Maybe not for you,” Mark whispers. He leans closer. “But I’m not him.”

Then he kisses Ethan.

-

Ethan wakes up on the floor sore and alone. It must have been a dream. Just a weird dream his mind conjured up as the end of the channel gets closer. But his bedroom door is wide open and he always sleeps with his door locked.

-

It keeps happening. But the problem isn’t that Ethan is getting these stolen moments with Mark that he knows aren’t real. The problem is that maybe they are real.

Mark shoves him against a wall and he wakes up with bruises on his shoulder blades.

Mark holds on too tight when Ethan tries to pull away and he finds scratches on his wrist the next day.

And Mark pushes and pushes and he doesn’t always listen when Ethan asks if they should slow down and Ethan finds hickeys on his collarbones in the morning that he knows Mark didn’t put there. 

Because it isn’t Mark.

It’s Annus. It’s the only explanation, it’s why he only ever shows up wearing white and why no time seems to pass when they’re together. 

Ethan should be afraid because Annus is missing all of the parts of Mark that Ethan fell in love with. Nothing about him is kind or gentle, nothing about him really cares about Ethan. He likes to see Ethan hurt. He likes to know that there will be something left over from him in the morning, something Ethan can feel even when he can’t see it.

And it’s getting worse each time. More bruises, more blood, more imprints of teeth on his skin.

Ethan can’t seem to let go though.

He looks so much like Mark. And between the pain, he’s so sweet. He calls Ethan pet names. He strokes his hair, kisses him softly, and fuck, Ethan’s so starved that he just takes it. He’ll take anything if it means he can hold onto this.

-

He should have thought it through. Of course Unus was out there too. Of course they come in a pair. Of course it wouldn’t just end with Ethan submitting and Mark never knowing.

And now they’re both here, wherever here is. Completely at the mercy of their alters.

Ethan sniffles. His eyes burn. His bones ache.

“What… What are you going to do to him?” Ethan asks Annus.

“I think you should worry about yourself. Don’t you want to know what I’m going to do to you?” Annus muses. He runs a hand through Ethan’s hair and then tugs, forcing Ethan to look up at him.

“Fuck you,” Ethan hisses. His nails dig into his palms. The tape on his wrists doesn’t give.

“I’m sure you wish I did. Would have pretended I was him, wouldn’t you have? And he doesn’t even know.” Annus’s grip loosens. Ethan looks away. Annus’s gaze drifts to the mirror. “No matter, I suppose. You two will have lots of time to talk.”

Ethan’s eyes widen. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Annus turns towards him. “There’s only so much time left. Did you think Unus and I would just die quietly?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ethan’s words get faster as dread floods back into his mind.

Annus raises his voice. The skin of his face flashes translucent for a moment and Ethan glimpses the skull beneath. “It’s our turn to live. We’re not being smothered for our last moments. We deserve to be free.” The mirror behind Annus cracks. Ethan’s heart pounds in his ears. It sounds like the ticking of a clock. “We’ve given everything to this channel. It’s time for us to take it back.”

“Don’t hurt him,” Ethan manages but the words tremble. Annus clicks his tongue.

“You know what I wish for you?” He sits on Ethan’s leg, hand on his inner thigh. “I hope this teaches you to be more selfish. He’s going to keep hurting you if you don’t tell him. And it’s going to be worse than anything I’ve done because it will be by accident.” Ethan opens his mouth but Annus cuts him off. The ticking sound gets louder. “Don’t say anything, darling. You’re out of time anyway.”

Ethan feels Annus kiss him, softer than he ever has before, and then everything goes dark.

-

Ethan wakes up first. He’s aware of satin surrounding him, slippery against his skin. He can hear someone else breathing next to him. He tries to sit up but he immediately hits his head on some sort of ceiling. He raises his hands, pressing up against it. It rattles slightly but it’s not going anywhere. Ethan glances around the dim environment, eyes straining to make out anything. He can barely see the outline of another body. There’s a clear split in the fabric, black on his side and white on the other.

“Oh god,” Ethan breathes. Panic starts to set in, feverish and fluttery.

He pounds against the lid and the coffin shakes. The coffin. They’re in the fucking coffin. They commissioned their own prison.

He hears the other person groan and the familiar sound is both comforting and heartbreaking.

“Mark?”

“Ethan?” Mark’s voice is rusty but it’s his and for some reason that tips Ethan over the edge.

He clasps a hand over his mouth and muffles a sob. His relief at finally seeing Mark safe and having someone here with him is overwhelmed by his guilt that they’re trapped together in a space that’s starting to feel smaller and smaller.

“Ethan? Are you okay?” He hears rustling and then, “Ow. What the fuck, where are we?”

“I think we’re in the coffin. I’m— I’m so sorry. I didn’t think this would happen. I didn’t think you would be dragged into this—”

“Are you okay though? You’re not hurt? I saw you with Annus, if he hurt you—”

“No, no, he— he didn’t hurt me. Not— not like that.” Ethan takes a stuttering inhale. His chest aches. It feels like he’s being crushed.

“We need to try and get out. Okay?”

Ethan can’t see Mark’s face in the dark but he can vaguely make out that Mark’s facing him. “Okay,” Ethan agrees, voice small. Deep down, he knows it won’t work. They wouldn’t be trapped here if Unus and Annus planned on them getting out.

But he tries anyway. He and Mark strain against the top of the coffin. It’s hard to get good leverage but with both of their strength combined, it should be opening. It should be. It doesn’t.

After a few minutes, they both give up, panting. 

“Fuck!” Mark screams, punching the lid.

“I don’t think… I don’t think we can leave, Mark.” Ethan tries to keep words light but hopelessness drags them down. “We shouldn’t even both fit in here. We don’t know where we are. I don’t think we’re getting out until Unus or Annus lets us out.”

“He said that,” Mark murmurs. He runs a hand through his hair. His elbow taps the ceiling.

“What?”

“Unus said that to me. When he had me. He said they made this space for us. It’s not a dream, not reality, but something in between. Somewhere to keep us and spend time with us.”

“What…” Ethan swallows. “What else did he say to you?”

Mark is quiet for a moment. Ethan wishes he could see his face. “He said you’re in love with me,” Mark whispers.

“Oh,” Ethan breathes. Tears drip down his cheeks. “I—” His voice trembles. “I’m sorry. You weren’t supposed to know. Now you’re stuck here with me and I’m probably the last person—”

“Ethan, no.” A hand searches for his in the dark and grasps on, squeezing. “I’m glad we’re together. I’m sorry I didn’t know. I should have seen you were hurting.”

“It’s fine,” Ethan murmurs.

“It’s not fine,” Mark insists. He laces their fingers together. “And I love you. Maybe not that way but you’re one of the most important people in my life. I’m sorry I don’t show that. I’m sorry it had to come to this.”

“What I did was worse.” The admission is acrid on Ethan’s tongue. “I knew they were real. Annus— Annus has been visiting me for weeks and I— I should have turned him away. I should have told you.”

“Ethan, you don’t have to apologize. There was nothing—”

“Yes I do! He— he just gave me everything I wanted and I should have—” Ethan breaks down. His cries are absorbed into the satin.

“Hey.” Mark’s hand fits gently against Ethan’s face, thumbing away his tears. “There was nothing you could have done, okay? We would still be here. And I… I want you to be happy. I promise I’m not going to disappoint you like that again.”

Ethan hums and shuffles. The walls of the coffin press in on them. “What do you think is going to happen to us?” he murmurs. “Do you think they’ll come back?”

“I think…” Ethan hears Mark sigh. “I think they’re going to end the channel. They deserve it, I suppose. They’re the ones who are going to be gone. I don’t think we’re going anywhere until the channel is dead.”

“That’s… that’s in over a week though,” but even as he says it, Ethan knows the rules of this place aren’t the same. He probably hasn’t eaten in over a day but he doesn’t feel hungry or thirsty. He just feels… so tired. So bone deep tired.

He’s starting to drift off. He doesn’t know when he’ll wake up but he knows he’ll still be here when he does.

“Mark?” he says as his eyes start to flutter. It hardly makes a difference in the near darkness. 

“Yeah?”

“Don’t let go of my hand. Please. I just… just wanna know you’re here,” Ethan confesses. Mark’s grip tightens. Ethan can feel his nails digging into his skin.

“Never,” Mark swears.

They wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so stressed about the channel ending and this election fuck


	2. Chapter 2

00:00:00:00


End file.
